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Celiac And Hair Loss?

hobbitqueen18

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hobbitqueen18 Apprentice
hobbitqueen18
Posted

I was just wondering if hair loss is a "symptom" of going gluten free? I thought that I heard someone say that it was but I was just wondering if that is true. Lately it looks like my hair has been getting thinner but I don't know if it is the gluten-free diet that is doing it or something else. If it is comming from the gluten-free diet, how can I make my hair stop from thining. Please help!

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Have you had your thyroid checked? Other hormones? Those things can make your hair fall out. I don't know why a gluten-free diet would if you are eating well/

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

Two things come to mind as possible culprits: thyroid and anemia. Both can cause hair loss. Have you had your vitamin and minerals checked? As celiacs we tend to be deficient in iron, ferritin, vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K. Thyroid tests to get include TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), Thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), and Thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb).

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Stress, illness and hormonal changes can cause hair loss. If you were quite ill when diagnosed or the gluten-free changes are stressful for you that may be what is causing the loss. It takes at least 3 months for the hair to grow back. Something that I find contributes to hair loss other than being glutened is soy because I react to that also.

Biotin can be helpful so if you aren't already taking a gluten-free biotin supplement you may want to add one in. Also check your shampoos and conditioners for gluten ingredients (I also have to avoid soy protein in them too but that may not be the case for you)

peeptoad Apprentice
peeptoad
Posted

I would definitely ask your doctor to check your serum ferritin. I was gluten-free for almost an entire year before my ferritin started to rise (and that was taking iron supps 3 times day). Hair loss was deifnitely an issue for me and has gotten much better since going gluten-free and adding in iron (and starting to eat meat again- I was formerly a vegetarian).

  • 2 weeks later...
CampbellS Newbie
CampbellS
Posted

I was just wondering if hair loss is a "symptom" of going gluten free? I thought that I heard someone say that it was but I was just wondering if that is true. Lately it looks like my hair has been getting thinner but I don't know if it is the gluten-free diet that is doing it or something else. If it is comming from the gluten-free diet, how can I make my hair stop from thining. Please help!

I have had alopecia or bald spots since my early teens. An autoimmune disease also connected with celiac disease. It has only ever gone away once and not for long. The hair grew in pure white and frequently falls out again. I keep my hair long to cover it up; just lucky that I can cover it or I would wear a wig. Supposed to improve with gluten free diet; but for those of us that had our celiac disease diagnosed late, it's just another autoimmune problem that gets added in.

Npealer Rookie
Npealer
Posted

I had this problem after I was diagnosed. I went to my doctor and she tested me for multiple vitamin defiencies. I have always been borderline anemic. My test came back and I was definetely lacking in many vitamins as well as Folic Acid. Once I started taking a multi-vitamin and folic acid everyday my hair stopped falling out. I highly suggest you talk to your doc and get tested to see where you might need to add certain supplements to your diet.

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
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    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
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